The Marriage Clause
by Josephine Stone
Summary: Harry's desperately trying to save Draco resorts to dubious means.


**Written for:** the monthly prompts at sythindor100  
 **Summary:** Harry's desperately trying to save Draco resorts to dubious means.  
 **A/N:** I'm not sure what this will turn into, so I can't be sure about warnings or rating as of right now.

* * *

After Draco's trial and sentencing, Harry vowed to get him released. Despite what everyone believed, Harry didn't have much pull within the Ministry; he wasn't Lucius Malfoy—even if he had more respect and money than Malfoy then.

In the end, it was Hermione who came through.

She found a loophole that should have been stricken from the books decades ago, but the Ministry had more important things to worry about than old laws no one took advantage of anymore.

'Are you sure about this Harry?' Hermione asked. 'It's permanent.'

Draco was _it_ for Harry and always had been.

* * *

The paperwork was drawn up and ready for both Harry and Draco to sign; all that was left was to explain the situation to Draco and to see if he'd agree to it. Harry asked to go alone. Even though he knew his friends would be supportive, he didn't want anyone there to witness Draco turn his freedom down if it meant the rest of his life with Harry.

Or worse, for them to witness him agree because it was his only way out of Azkaban.

No one knew, not even Hermione, that Harry wanted more from this arrangement than just Draco free. Harry had to force himself to laugh along with Ron when Hermione sighed at the book in front of her and said, 'You could marry him.'

It was more than Harry had thought to ask for.

His plan had been more along the lines of an action adventure mixed with a romantic comedy. He'd saved Draco's life before, but this time, he would just walk away after. They'd become friends, and then Draco would find Harry—the man who'd saved his life so many times before—irresistible and he'd fall in love with him while Harry awkwardly stumbled through every conversation with him, because that was how Harry acted when he was around people he fancied.

True to form, Harry stumbled through the doorway into the cell they'd moved Draco to for their meeting.

Harry could tell by Draco's expression he hadn't expected him to be his visitor.

Even in the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco had never been so dirty. The streaks of ash that were smeared against his skin and dusted in his hair after Harry pulled him out of the Room of Requirement came to Harry's mind. It was something he probably fantasised about too much recently. Harry shoving him up against the wall and kissing him instead of—

No, it wouldn't have been better. He had bigger things to worry about then. Harry hadn't even known then what Draco meant to him. He was deep in his fight against the Ministry to get Malfoy out and home with his mother where he belonged before Ginny asked him why he even cared.

Why did he even care so much? Horrible things hadn't happened only to Malfoy. He wasn't the only one suffering after the war. Harry hadn't thought to ask himself that question. He had feelings, and he followed them.

That hadn't been a satisfactory answer for her.

She left him to help all the other people suffering, and became more obsessed with his impossible task of saving Malfoy and the even more impossible task from someone deep in denial about themselves of figuring why he had cared so damn much to begin with.

Even then in the cramped cell where the smell should have turned his stomach, all Harry wanted to do was pull Draco to him and hold him as tightly as he could.

He wanted to wipe the dirt off his face and then kiss every inch of him clean again as if he could manage that it meant Draco would instantly be heal from the last four years.

Two years of war, two years of Azkaban.

Harry nodded to the cell keeper that he could go.

'You want me to leave you alone with him? He's a dangerous criminal.'

Malfoy sat up straighter in his chair as though he expected a fight to break out if he appeared too weak. Harry looked down at the stack of papers in his hand and gave a broken laugh as he nudged the man out the door.

'I think I can handle myself.'

When the keeper left, Harry took the chair across from Draco at the small metal table they had brought in—or more likely—transfigured for them. As Harry had learned appeals, after someone was sentenced and in Azkaban, were so rare they were more like nonexistent. The place wasn't set up for conferences with one's solicitor.

'What do you want?' Draco eyed the stack of papers with suspicion and, what Harry hoped to be, slightly hopeful look.

'We found a way to get you out.'

Draco's expression went through a range of confused expression and then settled back into a suspicious glare. He didn't know anyone had been working on getting him out. Harry hadn't thought to find a way to tell him; not until they learned about the Marriage Clause and that Harry could use it.

'But - it . . . there are some _requirements_ . . .'

'You can get me out?' Draco looked down at the paperwork, reading the words upside down. 'That looks more like a contract than release papers. How can you get me out? I'm taking it the charges aren't dropped.'

Harry swallowed. 'They'll never drop the charges, and you'll always be guilty of them. They refuse to see that the punishment is too harsh; this is the only way. It's an old clause tacked on to the end of a law the passed to regulate how to move on after a war. The war was a civil war, but it still covers it. Most of it just you can't kill all the surrendering side and certain parts only last for three years after the war, so we didn't have much time . . . it's a Marriage Clause between the opposing sides. We get married, and as long as we're married, you're free.'

Free was the wrong word, but Harry knew he couldn't tell him the truth. Harry didn't need Draco's permission to go through with it legally, but he wanted it and wouldn't force Draco into a marriage with him.

'We?' Draco rolled his eyes, and Harry was afraid he was attempting to keep himself from crying. 'As in you and me? Why would you agree to this?'

There was no disputing that Harry won the war; that everyone fought with him as their leader. He could marry anyone he wanted. People liked to remind him of this. Why was he wasting his time trying to free that evil Death Eater when he could be married to any beautiful witch he wanted. Or the crasser who pointed out that he hardly needed to get married to spend time with a beautiful woman. Perhaps even a new one every night of the week. Yes, he was aware he could marry anyone he wanted.

With the help of the clause: literally.

But he wanted that evil Death Eater.

So that was who he was going to marry, one way or the other.

Harry just didn't know how to explain it. 'Just look at it as a contract. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. We go through this process, and then we live together; we'll both still be living our lives. Just you'll be safe, and then I can sleep at night.'

'You know,' Draco said, 'owing a life debt doesn't mean giving up your life.'

Through the months of digging through Wizarding laws, Harry had spoken a bit with Narcissa. She'd brought up the life debt and said he'd already paid her back by saving Draco's life. He owed her nothing. But Draco didn't have to know that. The court made a big deal about that life debt. Harry played his part, too. Anything to keep Narcissa and Draco out of prison. It worked for her, but then she'd never been marked.

'I want to do this.' Harry paused, wondering if Draco was worried about what everyone was so certain he was giving up for Draco. 'We can work out the details later; it's not going to end my life, even if it does change it a bit.'

Harry watched Draco as he looked back and forth between the papers, Harry, and the door behind him.

'That's an awful lot of paperwork.'

'It's mostly for you to read; I've already read it.'

Draco reached out for it, and Harry tried not to blush as he handed them over. Harry knew he failed by the way that Draco looked him over carefully once the papers were in his hands. Then Harry spent the next quarter hour trying not to watch Draco as he read. Draco didn't look up much. Only once in the middle when he realised they had to have sex to seal their bond—which he quickly dismissed with a, 'of course, we would; it's a marriage', after a surprised and then confused look at Harry—and then at the end when Draco saw that his signature wasn't needed.

The look he gave Harry was worth the two years of missed sleep it took Harry to get them to that moment.

'You didn't have to ask me.'

'I wanted to.'

* * *

Harry knew he wouldn't want to leave Draco in Azkaban, so he'd brought a day release to Ministry for him as well.

'How'd you manage that?' Draco asked after they'd made it dry land and could Apparate to the Ministry.

'Well,' Harry said, pulling out his wand and cleaning Draco up as best he could with the few spells he knew. 'When you've just saved the world, you get a few perks.'

Draco gave him a disbelieving look.

'Hermione is good at using the Ministry's rules against them, and they'd just passed one last year to hurry paperwork along as part of the post-war effort. I don't know all the details.'

It was a long day of mostly waiting and uncomfortable staring from everyone around them, but they'd made their appointment, their paperwork was finalized, and Harry was free to take Draco home. Harry felt weak at the thought. He wanted everything to go a certain way, and he knew even the tiniest misstep could send them down the wrong path.

Draco was too traumatised and exhausted to fight with Harry then. That wouldn't last forever.

On the street outside the Ministry, Harry signaled for the Knight Bus.

'Are we stranded?' Draco snorted.

'Just tired,' Harry said.

Harry helped Draco up the steps and then onto one of the beds. He moved to take the next one, but Draco grabbed his wrist.

'Don't you want to lay with your husband?'

Harry's stomach jumped into his chest. Draco was smirking, but his tone sounded teasing as oppose to mocking. Before Harry could move one way or the other the Knight Bus moved throwing Harry backwards. He'd just regained his balance when the bus stopped, and Harry found himself on top of Draco.

'Sorry.'

'Lay down, you dolt,' Draco said his voice sleepy. 'Being thrown around a bus can't be very restful.'

He had to put his arm around Draco to fix them both on the small bed. Draco was fast asleep. Even if Harry's heart wasn't pounding so fiercely, he never'd be able to sleep on the Knight Bus. If he hadn't been worried about Splitching Draco, he would have Apparated them. It would have been pointless either way. Harry lived in London. They didn't have far to go before he had to shake Draco awake.

'We're home.'

Draco startled awake as he repeated the word home. It took him a moment to take in his surroundings. Disappointed washed over his face when he looked at Harry, but then he nodded to him and let him help him up. He shouldn't have called it that so soon. But he'd been thinking about it for so long; it already felt like their home to Harry.


End file.
